The Glimmer Twins Look-Alike Craze: When Fans Became Mick and Keith at 1970s Gatherings

Before social media and cosplay, the only way to prove your devotion to the Rolling Stones was to show up at a fan convention dressed as Mick Jagger or Keith Richards. In the 1970s, look-alike contests for the “Glimmer Twins” became a staple of Stones gatherings—especially in the UK and US—where fans would slick back their hair, pout their lips, and slouch like Keith, often competing for cheap prizes or just the thrill of being mistaken for the real thing.

The contests weren’t just amateur fun; they occasionally drew the band’s attention. At the 1975 “Stones Fan Club Convention” in London, a young man named Ian Stewart (no relation to the pianist) won by nailing Jagger’s strut while chain-smoking. Organizers noted that the winners often had a harder time shaking off drunk fans who genuinely thought they were the stars. The phenomenon faded by the early ’80s as convention culture shifted, but it captured a moment when rock fandom was still a physical, participatory act—not just a screen.